A California judge slashed a $103 million jury verdict in favor of a former Liberty Mutual employee who said she was treated poorly and fired because of her age, concluding that the severity of the harassment she alleged did not warrant $83 million in punitive damages.
Attorneys who represent employers say they have noticed a more lenient approach to settlements from the National Labor Relations Board's regional offices in the first year under the board's Republican leadership, a development that could lead to quicker resolutions of disputes as the board targets a lengthy case backlog.
The full Fifth Circuit will hear arguments Tuesday in the federal government's appeal of an order barring it from enforcing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act against Texas in a case over congressional voting procedures that experts say muddies the statute's validity and will likely land before the U.S. Supreme Court.